The Pleo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Pleo in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Pleo
The Insider’s Guide
Company spending cards and expense reports from Copenhagen
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among spend and bill pay tools, read from Pleo’s own pages.
Made by Pleo Technologies A/S · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Pleo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Pleo’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 0 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade
Pleo gives employees their own company cards and asks for the receipt in its app after each purchase, matching online receipts automatically. Out-of-pocket costs and mileage are claimed and reimbursed in the same app, spending limits and approvals are set per person, and expenses export to accounting software. It started in Copenhagen in 2015, works in 16 European countries, and sells US plans through Pleo North America.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Pleo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
There are cards to hand out, limits to set and accounting to connect, though after that staff only ever snap a receipt.
- 1
Best for a company card for every employee
Out-of-pocket costs and mileage go through the same app.
- 2
Paid plans start at $12 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly).
- 3
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 4
Company cards for each employee
Physical and virtual Pleo cards with Google Pay and Apple Pay, with individual, per-purchase and temporary spending limits.
- 5
Receipt capture
The app asks for a receipt after every card purchase, reads it with OCR, and the Fetch feature pulls online receipts from email automatically.
- 6
Out-of-pocket and mileage
Employees claim their own spending and mileage in the app, approvals follow company policy, and reimbursements are paid directly.
- 7
A 1.8 GPA, above 0 of 13
That is against the other spend and bill pay tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Pleo you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Pleo at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Pleo Technologies A/S, since 2015
- Category
- Spend & Bill Pay
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for a company card for every employee
Pleo gives every employee their own company card, asks for the receipt straight after each purchase and pulls online receipts from email by itself. Out-of-pocket costs and mileage go through the same app. But there's no free plan or trial on its US pricing page, plans need 3 users, and spending in another currency costs 1.75% on Build.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | A ten-person company pays $120 a month on Build at the yearly rate, 10 users at $12, which is $12 a head and bang on the category's middle. Direct reimbursements add 0.90% each, and Optimise is $16 a user. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free. The US pricing page shows no free plan and no free trial, and Build and Optimise need at least 3 users. |
| Features | C | Cards and expenses are done well: a card per person, receipt requests after every purchase, Fetch for emailed receipts, mileage and AI spend checks. Bill pay isn't among its features, and budgets wait for Optimise. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. There are cards to hand out, limits to set and accounting to connect, though after that staff only ever snap a receipt. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, exporting to Xero, QuickBooks, Dynamics and SAP, with Workday and Okta. No desktop app is listed, and HR integrations need Optimise. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Pleo is for
- Great if you want every employee to have their own card with their own limit
- Handy when chasing receipts after card purchases eats your month end
- Good for European teams with staff spending in several countries
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free plan or trial shown
- Pricey if you're 1 or 2 people, since you pay for at least 3 users
- Tight if your team spends in other currencies a lot, with a 1.75% FX fee on Build
Good to know
Good for
- Small teams that want a card for every employee
- European businesses with staff spending in several countries
- Companies tired of chasing receipts after card purchases
Worth knowing
- Card and invoice payments in another currency carry a 1.75% FX fee on Build and 1.49% on Optimise, and direct reimbursements cost 0.90% each.
- Build and Optimise need at least 3 users; no free plan or free trial is shown on the US pricing page.
- In the US the Pleo card is a prepaid Mastercard issued by Pathward, N.A., with no cash access.
- Pleo works in 16 European countries, including Denmark, the UK, Germany, France and Spain, as well as the US.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$12
A month to start, for each person
Pleo is a paid product, starting at $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly).
Build
$12
per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)
For 1 to 49 employees, 3-user minimum. Physical and virtual cards, receipt capture, reimbursements, mileage, approvals and AI spend guidelines.
Optimise
$16
per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
3-user minimum. Adds cashback for eligible customers, budgets, 100 AI expense reviews a month, HR integrations, vendor insights and live chat.
Scale
$249
per month and up
For 50 to 1,000 employees. Adds multi-entity management, advanced card controls and approvals, assisted onboarding and a success manager.
Lead
$499
per month and up
Adds unlimited reimbursement users with no reimbursement fees, unlimited virtual cards and AI reviews, premium integrations and purchase orders.
Enterprise
Custom
For companies of 1,000 or more employees, built and priced after a call with Pleo.
Read from pleo.io on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save $2 a user each month with yearly billing
Build costs $12 per user a month billed yearly instead of $14 monthly, and Optimise $16 instead of $18.
Stated on pleo.io
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Company spending cards and expense reports from Copenhagen. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, expense tracking, company cards.
Bill pay isn't among its features, and budgets wait for Optimise.
- Company cards for each employee
- Physical and virtual Pleo cards with Google Pay and Apple Pay, with individual, per-purchase and temporary spending limits.
- Receipt capture
- The app asks for a receipt after every card purchase, reads it with OCR, and the Fetch feature pulls online receipts from email automatically.
- Out-of-pocket and mileage
- Employees claim their own spending and mileage in the app, approvals follow company policy, and reimbursements are paid directly.
- AI spend checks
- AI spend guidelines on every plan, and AI expense reviews on Optimise (100 a month) or unlimited on Lead.
- Vendor tracking
- Recurring vendors and subscriptions are tracked, with renewal management and spending insights on Optimise.
- Accounting exports
- Auto-categorized expenses with custom categories and tags export to Xero, QuickBooks and other accounting systems.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Microsoft Dynamics
- SAP
- Workday
- Okta
Pleo is made by Pleo Technologies A/S, and has been around since 2015.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/13
Other spend and bill pay tools it is graded above
Pleo's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 0 of 13) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $12 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 4 of the 11 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 14 spend and bill pay tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Pleo’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 13
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 13
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 13
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 13
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 13
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 13 spend and bill pay tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Pleo is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Pleo you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 13 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools grade higher. It costs $144 a year.
What you could make
- Expense tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Cards issued through a bank.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Pleo’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Spendesk, Rydoo, Expensify, Ramp and Airwallex
The 5 tools Pleo is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Spendesk
Paid
Spend management with unlimited cards and users, priced by quote.
- Spendesk also covers bill pay.
- 2.6GPA
Rydoo
Free trial · from $9/mo
- 2.8GPA
Expensify
Free plan · from $5/mo
Receipt scanning, expense reports and company cards, from $5 a member.
- Expensify has a free plan. Pleo does not.
- Only Expensify lists a macOS app.
- Only Expensify lists a browser extension.
- 3.6GPA
Ramp
Free plan · from $15/mo
Corporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan.
- Ramp has a free plan. Pleo does not.
- Ramp also covers invoicing, reports and bill pay.
- 3.2GPA
Airwallex
Free plan · from $12/mo
Multi-currency business accounts, cards, bill pay and expenses.
- Airwallex has a free plan. Pleo does not.
- Airwallex also covers invoicing and bill pay.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Pleo free?
No. Pleo is a paid product, starting at $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly).
How much does Pleo cost?
Pleo lists 5 plans. Build: $12 per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly).
What platforms does Pleo work on?
Pleo is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Pleo offer any discounts?
Pleo publicly lists the following: Save $2 a user each month with yearly billing.
Does Pleo have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pleo is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Pleo have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pleo is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Pleo open source?
Pleo is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Pleo integrate with?
Pleo's listing names Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Workday and Okta.
Who makes Pleo?
Pleo is made by Pleo Technologies A/S. It dates from 2015.
What are the alternatives to Pleo?
The closest alternatives to Pleo in our directory are Spendesk, Rydoo, Expensify, Ramp and Airwallex.
How does Pleo compare with other spend and bill pay tools?
Pleo's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 13 other spend and bill pay tools we grade.
Is Pleo good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Pleo C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $12 a month for each person, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 4 of the 11 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Pleo?
To replace Pleo you would be making cards issued through a bank. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Pleo’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Pleo's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Pleo Technologies A/S. Prices change, so check pleo.io before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Pleo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pleo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Pleo: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pleo
Know someone choosing between spend and bill pay tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pleo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded spend and bill pay tools after Pleo, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Spend & Bill Pay Insider's GuideEvery one of the 14 spend and bill pay tools we grade, compared
- Brex Insider's GuideCorporate cards, expenses, bill pay and travel for growing companies3.6 GPA
- Ramp Insider's GuideCorporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan3.6 GPA
- Airwallex Insider's GuideMulti-currency business accounts, cards, bill pay and expenses3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Pleo’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Pleo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Pleo Technologies A/S. Prices and plans change: check pleo.io before you buy.